Daniel Nocera have you heard of him?

Question

This MIT chemist made a catalyst that could split water. I noticed that no one posted anything on him yet; the catalyst is made from phosphorus and cobalt which are very easy to come by.

This could solve all energy problems in our world!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/31/energyefficiency.energy

Answer 1

Yeah, cool stuff.  The MIT material lowers the voltage needed to electrolyze water, which can help lower the cost of hydrogen production from water.  But as with all catalysts, it doesn't change the thermodynamics.  It still takes energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.  So the discovery is important, but it isn't going to solve all the world's energy problems.  See the reference for a little more science on the MIT work than you will get in the mainstream press.